Hat bat shrinking machine



3 Sheets-Sheet l TA/IARNER H GENES? HOMER A GENES? H. A. GENEST EI ALHAT BAT SHRINKING MACHINE Dec. 25, 1951 Filed June 9, 1949 ma Q Dec..25,1951 H. A. GENEST ETAL HAT BAT SHRINKING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledJune 9, 1949 HOMER A. GENES?? MRA/ER H GEA/EST Dec. 25, 1951 H, ALGENEsT ETAL HAT BAT SHRINKNG MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet El Filed June 9,1949 HOMER A.. GENES? WARNER H GENES? Patented Dec. 25, 1951 2,579,814HAT BAT SHRINKING MAC/HINE Homer A. Genest and Warner H. Genest,Danbury, Conn., assignors to United States Hat Machinery Corporatioporation of Virginia n, New York, N. Y., a cor- Applicaton June 9, 1949,Serial No. 98,106

9 Claims. (Cl. .2S-5) This invention relates to improvements in hat batshrinking machines and especially to shrinking machines including meansby which bats may be recycled in such machines as well as initially fedor loaded into such machines.

Hat bat shrinking machines now in use are of the type having apassageway through which hat bats pass from one end to the other. Whilemoving therethrough, the bats are shrunk and felted. It is necessary tointroduce the bats to the pas sageway in such a manner that they will besuitably spaced in order that the shrinking and felt ing may best beaccomplished. According to present practice, the bats are manually introduced to said passageway. Likewise, as the bats emerge from thepassageway, they are now manuallv returned to the entrance of said pasnsageway.

Such manual operations are not only costly and time consuming but arethe source of considerable discomfort to the operator due to the batsbeing continuously saturated with water or solutions approaching boilingtemperatures while traversing said passageway. One operator isconstantly employed to operate each shrinking machine to initially loadit and also return or refeed the bats to the passageway so that they maybe recycled through the machine a predeter mined number of times. At thecompletion of such shrinking and felting, the bats are gener allystacked and taken to different machines for further operations in makingiinished hats. The shrinking machine is then again manually loaded withanother batch of bats which are recycled therethrough so as to be shrunkand felted.

It is an object of the presentinvention to provide in a shrinking'machine means to automatically and successively return the bats of onebatch from the exit to the entrance of said machine so that the bats maybe automatically recycled for an interval of predetermined extent, andalso provide means in such machine upon which another batch of bats maybe disposed while said one batch of bats is being recycled through theshrinking machine to shrink and felt them. It is a feature of thisobject that at the completion of such recycling of said one batch ofbats, the bats thereof are automatically removed from the machine, andit is another feature of this object to then cause said second mentionedmeans to operate so as to automatically load the shrinking machine byfeeding thereto, in spaced relationship, said another batch of batswhich has been placed upon said means by the operator while the machinewas automatically recycling the previous batch.

Due to the automatic recycling possible with the present invention, andthe short time required to place the bats of another batch on theautomatic loading means of the invention, it is possible that oneoperator can oversee and perform all manual operations required by anumber of machines embodying the present invention. Thus the time of asingle operator may be used much more advantageously with a consequentmaterial reduction in operating costs of such shrinking machines ascompared with the cost of operating currently available machines.

Among other objects and features of the invention are: the provision ofadjustable means for controlling the operation of the recycling andloading means; the provision of counterbalancing means to facilitate theoperation of the loading means; the provision of a superposed series ofconveyors in the loading means and the resulting compactness and savingin space; and the arrangement of conveyors in the loading means so as tomaintain bats in the relative positions in which they are originallyplaced upon the conveyors while the loading means is feeding the bats tothe entrance of the passageway of the shrinking machine.

Details of the foregoing objects and of 'the invention as well asotherobjects thereof are set forth in the following speciiication andillustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 isa sideelevation of hat bat shrinking machine embodying theprinciples of the present invention. In this view, part of the machinehas been broken away as Well as foreshortened by breaking out themidportion of one part of the machine.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the bat loading part of the shrinkingmachine illustrated in Fig. 1, said part being shown in this figure on alarger scale than Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of part of the mechanism shown inFig. 2, this part being viewed from the opposite side of' the machinefrom that illustrated vin Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation of another part of the machineillustrated in Fig. 2, said part being viewed from the opposite side ofthe machine from that shown in Fig. `2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of part of the machine shown in Fig.2, this view being on a slightly larger scale than that used in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly Fig. l, the shrinkingmachine is supported by a suitable frame Ill. In Fig. lof the drawings,Vthe 1,586,551, in the name of one of the present inventors, Homer A.Genest. Both of these machines provide a passageway through which flathat bats are passed whilebeing worked upon to shrink and felt the'bats.

is defined by a belt, while the other side is dened by a plurality ofrollers which coact with the belt. In the later patent, both sides ofthe passageway for the greatest portion of itsflength., is defined by aplurality'v of co-operating rows of rollers.

A suitable mechanism which. may be utilized to manipulate hat bats. to.shrink. and. felt them has been` shown'for exemplary purposes in Fig. lof the present drawings.v Therein is. shown a plurality of co-operatinghorizontal rowsof'rollers I4, I6 and IB. Theserollers. are. pivotallymounted with-in the housing I 2i. The rollers IE of the central row .arepreferably rotatablyv mounted in fixedv bearings supported .by portionsof the frame I-Il. The upper andflower rows of rollers I4 and I8 arepreferably mounted. so as to be movable away from the centralrow ofrollers IB'.. The rollers I4 and. I 8,. however, areV all biased towardthe rollers It. of the central row. by

.suitable means suchas springs 20. which are engageable with. either theshafts `or bearings of the rollers I4 and I8.4

Insaid figure it will be seen that the rollers i4 and l5 of the upperand central rows rotate in thedirectionsindicated by arrows inthefigureto `define part of a passageway leading into the in.-

nermos-t end -of the housing. :I2v from Aan entrance 2.2 defined by theYoutermost rolls i4 and i6 of Y the upper and centralrows-` thereof.

The central row ofv rollers Il.l and thel lower row of Yrollers If.Tco-operate to definev therebetween. another part of saidpassagewaywhichterminates at the: exit 24, directly below the. entrance 22, the exitbeing defined by the outermost rollers I6 and I8 of the central and.llower rows. Surrounding the innermostroller Ibis a plurality of transferrollers 26 which are rotated in thed-irection of the .arrows showninFig.. 1 for purposes of .moving thefbats fromv the upper portion of 'thepassageway, defined` by the centra-l and upper rows of rollers, to thelower portionof the passageway, defined by the central and lower rowsoirollers. Both portions-.of :the .passageway constitute 'the entirepassageway which extends from the 'entrance 22 to thev exitr2.4..

The transfer rollers 26 are shown in. overlapping relationship inli'ig.. 1. isfpossible :due tothe fact that eachroller; comprises.. a.vshaft on which a series-of circular disks are mounted in spacedrelationship, the disks onadjacent rol- 1ers being mounted Aso as to bedisposed in between the disks lof' :the first mentioned roller.

Suitable drive means" `for actuatingthe rollers defining these'passageways may be provided but is not shown inth'e present drawingssince the same is believed' to' be unnecessary. Such. means, forexample, vmay comprise 'sprockets fixed to v'the shafts of" each roller,said `sprockets being driven by a 'suitable sprocket chain, Ywhich inturn, may be vdriven from ashaftZS. Said shaft In the earlier patent forexample, one side of the passagewayVV may be driven by a suitable pulleyor large sprocket 3G which is fixed to the shaft, and in turn, isconnected by a belt or sprocket chain to the pulley or sprocket 34 of anelectric motor :it or any other suitable source of power.

As has been mentionedhereinabove, in presently available machines, it iscustomary and necessary to have an operator manually receive the bats asthey successively emerge from the exit 24 and return them or feed themback to therentrance 22. The present invention includes means forautomatically returning the bats from the exit 2li to the entrance 22.Said bat returning means comprises a plurality of endless conveyors 38and 4u which are each supported between pairs of rolls 42 and 44. Theserolls are suitably' supported at their ends in appropriate bearingsmounted in suitable portions adjacent the opposite sides of the frameIll.

Said conveyors may be of a number of appropriate forms, that is, they.may be either webs which are continuous throughout their width or theymay comprise a plurality'of relative narrow belts mounted side by side;Also, the webs or belts may be either imperforate or perforated. rEhebelts travel in the direction indicated by the arrows and they have theVsame speed as the peripheries of the rollers defining the passageway ofthe shrinking machine referred to above. Therefore, the pairs of rollswhich support said conveyors, may be driven by any suitable means fromthe shaft 28, for example, whereby hat bats are moved by the conveyors3a and 4t relative to the frame Ii! at the same speed at which they movethrough said passageway defined by the rollers I4, I6 and i8.

When the bats have moved between conveyors 3S and 4t to the outermostrolls 42 and 44 which support said conveyors, shown at the left hand endof Fig. l, they are transferred to the: upper course of conveyor 4d bymeans of a 'plurality of transfer rollers 45, 48,. and 52. Theserollers, with the exception of roller 52, are fixed to and driven byhorizontal shafts rotatably supported at their ends in suitablebearings. provided in the left hand portion of frame It shown in Fig. l.Said shafts, for example, may be. driven by appropriate meshing spurgears, not shown, fixed to the ends of the shafts which support thetransfer rollers and one end vof one of the shafts which support .theleft hand rolls 42 or. 44 as viewed in Fig. 1. The transfer rollsreferred to are rotated in the direction of the arrowsI shown in Fig..l.

Transfer rollers 46, 48, 54) and 52 are shown in Fig. 1 in overlappingrelationship. rIhis is possible due to the fact that these transferrollers are formed similarly to the transfer rollers 2-6 describedabove. rlhat is, each roller comprises a series of disks fixed to ashaft in spaced relationship and the disks or adjacent rolls arepositioned. so .that the same 'inter-fit between. each other.

Transfer roller `52 is rotatably supported by a shaft 514, the ends ofwhich are mounted in a pair of spaced triangular shaped plates .5b. Saidplates are. pivotally mounted at the ends of the shaft 58 which supportsthe transfer roller 50. These plates 55 are disposed .adjacent oppositeside members of the frame I9. Also pivotally connected to. one corner ofeach of the plates 56 :is a linkse. The linksv till extend downward fromthe triangular plates 'Etand the lower ends thereof are connected withthe outer ends of cranks G2 which are fixed to a, shaft G4 extendingtransversely between bearings disposed in opposite sides of the frameI0.

Also fixed to shaft 64 is a gear 6'5 which meshes with a pinion gear B8secured to the shaft of a torque motor 18 which is supported by theframe |0. The torque motor is the reversible type. Normally it operatesin a direction to rotate the gear 66 and cranks BZ so as to move thelinks E8 upward and thus move the transfer roller 52 into the dottedline position thereof, shown in Fig. 1. When the motor is operated in areverse direction by means explained hereafter, the links E0 are moveddownward to move the transfer roller 52 to the full line positionthereof shown in Fig. 1.

The transfer roller 52 is driven in the direction of the arrow thereonby gearing the same to transfer roller 50. Suitable spur gears for thispurpose, for example, which are not shown in the drawings, may bemounted on the ends of the shafts supporting the rolls 50 and 52.

When the transfer roller 52 is disposed in the dotted line positionthereof, shown in Fig. 1, and the conveyors 38 and 40 are being actuatedto move bats from the exit Zd to the entrance 22, the bats will besupported on the upper course of conveyor 38 and be moved to the left,as viewed in Fig. 1, until the transfer rollers 46, 48, 5!! and 52 areengaged. These rollers move in a direction to pass the bat around theleft hand roll 48 while the bat is in engagement with the upper conveyor48, and the bat will then be moved onto the upper course of conveyor 40.and, while thereon. back to the entrance 22 of the passage- Way of theshrinking machine described above.

As long as the transfer roller 52 is disposed in the dotted lineposition referred to, bats will be continuously re-cycled through thepassageway, from the entrance 22 to the exit 24, and then along theconveyors 38 and 48 and back to the entrance for a predeterminedinterval to shrink and felt the bats. The bat return means comprisingthe conveyors 38 and Ml thus eliminates a very appreciable amount ofmanual work now required when using currently available shrinking andfelting machines in which return of the bats from the exit to theentrance must be made manually.

Also, While the bats are traversing the passageway from the entrance 22to the exit 24, they are maintained in a saturated condition by anappropriate sprinkling means represented in an exemplary manner by asprinkler head 12 shown in the upper portion of the housing l2 in Fig.l..

Since the conveyors 38 and 48 automatically rei."

turn the bats from the exit 24 to the entrance 22 for re-cycling, theoperator or attendant of the machine does not experience any hardship asis now experienced while using currently available machines due tohandling the bats which emerge from the exit of the passageway saturatedwith water or a solution which is generally maintained at a temperatureapproaching the boiling point.

If desired, mechanism may be associated with the bat return conveyors 38and 48 for purposes of periodically shifting the position of the bats onthe conveyors so that the crease in the bats may be varied betweensuccessive passes through the passageway of the sprinkling machine. Bythe use of such mechanism, which is not illustrated in the drawings, thebat will not possess any hard lines known as rods in the industry, whichrods result from lack of sufficient shifting of the crease in the bat.

After the bats have been recycled through the Til passageway of theshrinking machine a predetermined number of times or for a predeterminedtime, whichever is the most desirable, they are ejected from theshrinking machine by the torque motor moving transfer roller 52 to thefull line position thereof shown in Fig. l. When said roller is in suchposition, the bats will not be transferred to the upper course ofconveyor 40. Movement of the roller 52 to the full line positionreferred to is controlled by either appropriate timing means, not shown,connected in the circuit of the motor 10, or control means such as anelectric-eye 14, connected in the circuit of the motor 18, andpositioned so as to' be adjacent the path of movement of the batsbetween conveyors 38 and 48. The control means is preferably adjustableso as to function following the passage of any desired predeterminednumber of bats, to energize the torque motor 1|] in a direction to movethe transfer roller 52 to the full line position referred to above.

Another feature of the invention comprises means shown in the variousfigures for automatically loading the shrinking machine after a batch ofbats has been recycled for a predetermined interval and nally ejectedfrom the machine in the manner described above. The loading mechanism isillustrated in the upper portion of Fig. 1 and details thereof are shownin the other figures of the drawings. Said mechanism comprises a frame16 and auxiliary frame 18, both of which may be attached to frame I0.The frame 18 comprises a plurality of spaced side members 88 and 82.Extending between the side members and 82 and rotatably supported Withinsuitable bearings therein are a plurality of transverse shafts 84. Theshafts 84 are disposed in substantially vertical alignment and have aplurality of functions. One function is to support on each shaft a roll86, said rolls being disposed between the side members 80 and. 82. Thereis a space between the ends of each of the rolls 86 and the innersurfaces of the side members 88 and 82.

Rotatably mounted on each of said shafts 84 and disposed within theaforementioned space adjacent the side members 88 and 82 is a bearing88. Fixed to each bearing 88 is a longitudinal frame member 9|). Anotherbearing 92 is xed to the opposite end of each frame member 90, saidbearings 82 being spaced apart similarly to bearings 88. The pair ofbearings 92 rotatably support a transverse shaft 94 which rotatablysupports another roll 96 extending between the bearings 92. Roll 88 issimilar to roll 86 and said rolls are preferably provided with aplurality of annular grooves 98. Longitudinally opposed grooves in therolls and 88 receive part of an endless conveyor comprising, forexample, a ladder chain |08.

The shafts 84 and 9d, in conjunction with the frame members 88 andbearings 88 and 92, comprise frames |82. Since the shafts 84 of the'various frames |82 are pivotally supported in vertical alignment in theside members 80 and 82 of the Iframe 16, it will be seen that theloading mechanism primarily comprises a plurality of superposed frames|82 each of which movably 'support an endless convey-or which passesaround the rolls 86 and 96 of each frame.

.It has been found that a suitable form of conveyor is that illustratedas a specific example in the drawings and comprising a plurality ofladder chains |80 which are transversely spaced evenly across the fullwidth of the frames |82.

It .is to be understood', however, that this type fof' conveyor :is notrestrictive in the present invention :since other types of conveyors may:be used. lThis .speciiic type .of ladder chain conveyor is well suitedto the purposes of the presfent mechanism in that, as the chains wearand become stretched, for example, during use, the length of eachconveyor may be adjusted by either adding orfremoving links to a chain.The spaced grooves 08 in each o-f the rolls 86 and v96 serve to maintainthe chainsin suitably spaced relationship. Such grooves, however, couldbe `adaptableto receive any other suitable form of narrow belt-likemeans which may be used in lieu vof the chains |00.

.Each -of vtheframes. |02 andthe endless conveyors supported ltherebyare closely superposed so .that the adjacent courses of the c-onveyorsofyadjacent frames will be juxtaposed to provideY .between said adjacentconveyors a passage orv pass through or 4along which bats may be movedon said conveyors by means to be described. Thus, the loading meanscomprises a series :ci -stacked passes resulting in a compa-ctarrangement 'for accommodating a relatively large number of bats in aconfined space. For `convenience of reference, the passes are numbered2, 3 and 4.

Fixed to the outer end ofthe second and fourth Ashafts 84, as shown inFig. 3 is a relatively wide gear |05. Fixed to the opposite ends -ofthese shafts as well as the corresponding ends of the 'other-shaftsjis agear |08. All of the gears |08 on theY various shafts 84 are meshed indriving relationship. One of the shafts Sli projects at one end 04'slightly beyond the corresponding ends of theV other shafts 84 so as toadditionally support thereon a Asprocket gear H which is xed to saidshaft.

Sprocket gear sprocket chai-n I! 2 to a driving sprocket gear M which iscontrolled by a clutch H5. In the exemplary disclosure shown in Fig; 1,said clutch is the type actuated bya pivoted bar H0, movement of whichis controlled by aV solenoid |20. Other suitable types of clutch vmay beused. Also connected to said clutch is a driven .gear |22 which mesheswith adriving gear |24, the latter being connected by either a belt or achain |26 to a pulley or pinion gear |28. The latter is driven by alarger gearv or pulley |30.. which, in turn, is driven by a chain Vorbelt |32 actuated 'by power shaft 23 `and a suitable sprocket gear orpulley 3d `mounted thereon.

It will thus be seen that the power shaft 2B which operatesanotherportion of the shrinking machine is also 4used to drive sprocketchain ||2 which, in turn, drives the meshed ygears |08 of the loadingmechanism. Since the latter gears are meshed, all vof the conveyors onthe frames 5.2 will be simultaneously d-riven and the ar- ||0 Visconnected by suitable rangement. of gears. .|538 will cause adjacent 8illustrate, 'the `uppermost frame |02 is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1in raised position to facilitate such movement of the frames, suitablecounterweights |35 are provided as shown in Fig. l, there'preferablybeing one weight for each frame.

The weights are supported by lappropriate chains or ropes E38 which passaround pulleys |40 supported by auxiliaryV frame 78. One end of onechain or rope |38 is attached to the right hand end oi each frame |02,as viewed in Figs. 1 land 2, and the opposite end of the chain or ropeis attached to a counterweight. IThe `counterweights V|36 are such that,by their own weight, they will normally not be heavy enough to raise thefree end of each Vof the `frames |02 but slight llifting force appliedbythe operator to the free ends of each frame wil suiiice to raise theframe so as to separate it from the adjacent next lower frame.

jacent conveyors so that bats may be readilyV placed upon the uppersurface of the lower eX- posed conveyor. Preferably, the loadingmechanism :is charged with bats by first elevating all out the-lowerniost frame, then placingV in predetermined spaced positions acertain number of bats upon the upper course of the conveyor of saidVicwermost frame, lowering the next uppermost frame against the lowermostframe and similarly placing bats upon the conveyor thereof, and so on,until the next to the uppermost conveyor has been loaded with bats.During such operations, the conveyors arestationary. The frames andconveyors are preferably suiiciently wide -to accommodate a `pluralityof parallel rows of bats. The plan View of said frames |02 and theconveyors in Fig-5 has shown them with the midportions broken `out `tomore concisely illustrate the same.

The uppermost course of the conveyor of the uppermost frame ispreferably not loaded with bats as far asA the inechanism'illustratedherein is concerned. jiowever, it is possible that, in :someinstallations, the loading of said `uppermost courses of said conveyormay be desired and. such is possible by merely installing additional`means for-transferring the bats from the upper course of saiduppermost-conveyor to pass No. i.. Such transfer means will presently bedescribed. When theloading mechanism is fully loaded with a batch Yofbats, the frames, including the uppermost one, .are in the positionsillustratedl in full Vline in Figs. 1 and 2. It will thus be seen thatthe adjacent courses of `adjacent conveyors on the frames engageopposite sides of the bats to hold them in the position in which theyare placed upon the conveyors by the operator, whereby `they will -bedelivered to the entrance 22 of vthe passageway `in the same relativeposition and spacing from the other bats as that oocupied when initiallyplaced upon the conveyors of the frames i t2.

The free ends of the frames 1&2 are maintained in properly spacedrelationship by a plurality of stop members |552, there being at leastonestop member at each side of the -iree end of each frame |622. Aconvenient vmanner or" mounting said stop members comprises fixing eachstep member to the lcwermost surface of each bear- .ing 92. The lowerend. of each stop would .engage the upper surface ef the next lowerbearing 0.2 .and thus maintain, the tree .ends-of the frames |02 in thesame spaced relationship as the shafts 84 maintain the pivoted ends ofthe frames. No stop members need be xed to the bearings 92 of thelowermost frame |02. In lieu thereof, a transverse positioning or stopbar |44 is provided on auxiliary frame 18 for engagement by the bearings92 of the lowermost frame as is clearly shown in Figs.. 1 and 2.

After a batch of bats has been recycled through the shrinking machinefor a predetermined interval, in the manner explained above, transferroller 52 is moved to the full line position thereof 'shown in Fig. 1.4'This causes the bats to be ejected as explained above. The operationof this roller, as also explained above, is controlled by suitablemechanism such as electric eye '|4. At the completion of the ejection ofthe entire batch of bats, roller 52 is returned to the dotted lineposition thereof shown in Fig. 1.

Upon such return of the roller 52, the solenoid |20 is caused to actuatethe clutch ||6 for purposes of starting movement of the sprocket chain||2 which drives the conveyors of all of the frames |02 by means of themeshed gears |08. When the conveyors are thus actuated, the bats in thepasses through 4 will move in the directions of the arrows shown in Fig.2. Thus, the bats in pass 4 will be moved toward the lower right handend of the mechanism as viewed in Figs. 1 and 2 and be deposited uponthe upper surface of conveyor 40 adjacent the entrance 22 of thepassageway in the shrinking machine. The bats will be delivered frompass 4 in spaced relationship to the entrance 22. Meanwhile, the bats inthe other passesl will be moving in alternately opposite directions andit is necessary to transfer the bats in each pass to the next lower passuntil they reach pass 4 from which they move to the entrance 22.

Means for transferring the bats from one pass to the next lower passcomprise sets of transfer rollers |46. These rollers generally resemblein construction the transfer rollers 46, 48, 50 and 52. Four suchrollers are mounted in vertical spaced alignment in the frame 16, theshafts |46 of such rollers extended between the side members 80 and 82and are supported in suitable bearings provided in said members.

The disks comprising part of each of the rollers |46 interfit in thesame manner as the previously described transfer rollers 46, 48, 50 and52.

One end of each of the shafts |48 has fixed thereto a gear |54. Adjacentgears are staggered laterally in vertical plan view as shown in Fig. 5.The uppermost pair of gears |54, as viewed in Figs. 2 and 3, mesh withthe uppermost wide gear |06 and the lowermost pair of gears |54 meshwith the lowermost wide gear |06. All of the transfer rollers`|46 willthus be driven in the same direction as indicated by the arrows thereonin Figs. 2 and 3. It will thus be seen that the uppermost pair oftransfer rollers |46 move the bats from pass to pass 2, and thelowermost pair of rollers |46 move the bats from pass 3 to pass 4. l

Another pair of transfer rollers |46 are supported at the right hand endof the loading mechanism as shown in Fig. 2, the shafts |48 thereofbeing rotatably supported in a pair of spaced frame plates |50 which arexed to and supported by suitable means such as the bearings 92 of thefree end of the intermediate frame |02. The shaft 94 mounted in said endof said l0 intermediate frame hasxed to one end thereof a Wide gear |52corresponding to gear |06. Fixed to the adjacent ends of the shafts |48supported by frame plates |50 are a pair of overlapping gears |54 whichmesh with Wide gear |52. Movement of the conveyor on the intermediatefrarne |02 drives roll 96 at the free end thereof and also the gear |52which is xed so as to move with said roll. Movement of the gear |52 willthus drive gears |54 and the transfer rollers |46 xed thereto whichtransfer the bats from pass 2 to pass 3.

Suitable control means such as a timer |56 is connected in the circuitof the solenoid |20 of the clutch ||6. The timer |56 is preferablyadjustable so as to maintain the clutch in driving position for anypredetermined amount of time within reasonable limits. Such time will besufficient to insure the discharge of all bats from the loadingmechanism. After the complete discharge of the bats from the loadingmechanism to conveyor 40 and entrance 22, the timer |56 will operate tocause the clutch ||6 to operate so as to discontinue driving thesprocket chain ||2.

Following this, movement of the conveyors of the loading mechanism willcease and the frame of said loading mechanism may then be moved toseparated positions to permit the introduction of another batch of batswithin said loading mechanism while the bats previously dischargedtherefrom are being recycled through the passageway of the shrinkingmechanism so as to be shrunk and felted thereby. Since much less time isrequired to load the loading mechanism with bats than is required tolrecycle the bats through the passageway sufficiently to shrink and feltthe bats to a desirable extent, a single operator may completely attenda number of machines comprising the present invention.

When the frames |02 and their conveyors are loaded with bats |58 theweight of the bats on the upper course of the conveyor will cause acertain amount of sagging of said course.

control switch |60 connected in the circuit of the timer |56. Saidswitch is preferably of the type which is very sensitive so as tooperate by the application of light pressure and/or a small amount ofmovement to the actuating member of the switch. Thus, the actuatingmember of the switch is positioned so that the movement of the uppercourse of the conveyor to sagged pcsition on the frame carrying switch|60 will engage and operate the actuating member to close the switch.

When the timer |56 is operated to commence actuation of the loadingmechanism, the circuit which actuates the solenoid of clutch Il will becompleted if switch |60 is closed. Such operation of the timer occurswhen the transfer roller 52 is returned to dotted line position in Fig.1, as explained above, after a batch of bats has been recycled arequired amount by the shrinking machine, ejected therefrom, and anotherbatch is to be fed thereto from the loading means. However, if nofurther batch is to be loaded into the shrinking machine, the loadingmechanism will have no bats on its conveyors and thus the conveyors willnot be sagged,.where by the switch |60 will remain open and clutch ||6will not function to operate the conveyors of the feeding mechanism.

summarizing the operation of the bat shrinking machine comprising thepresent invention,

The l effect is used advantageously to operate a further amsn and@particularly thei batloading part-"thereof,vr

assume abatchn of bats is being cycled" throughthepassageways Abetweenthe-rows of rollers within' the housing i2V of they shrinking machineand the bats are being sequentially transferred fromY one'passagewayto=the other therein. While this Vis occurring, an operatorie chargingthe variousV conveyors of the bat Vloading mechanism, whichareA thenidle, with bats of-v the batch next to beY cycled throughI theVbat'shrinking machine:

-Either suitable timing means or counting and control mechanism, suchasv electric eye' means M, determines the extent a batch is to be cycledthrough the shrinkingfmachine. When the cy-V cling has proceeded apredetermined extent, the circuit of the torque motor 'is is energizedto cause transfer roller 52 to move to the full line position thereofshown in Fig. -1 and thus causesy the cycled batch' oibats to bedischarged from the shrinking machine and bat returning conveyors 38and-d6. At the completion of such-discharge, the roller 52 is returnedto the dotted line position thereof in Fig. l which thereby causessolenoidme' to actuate the clutch H6 to eifect driving of the gearmechanism and the other gears which drive the various conveyors formingthe passes of the Vbat loading mechanism. w

The bats in the lowermostpass are nrst deposited upon the upper coursevof bat return p conveyor llt. The bats in the upper courses aremeanwhile being progressively fed downward to the lower courses andnally onto conveyor til.- A timer H56 `in the circuit offsolenoid i2@limits the period of operation of the clutch lSA and the conveyors ofthe loading mechanism. From conveyor 4U, all of the bats are fedseriatim to the entrance 22 of the bat shrinking machine. rhe entirebatch is Vthen'cycled through the shrinking machine while still anothersucceeding batch of bats isbeing charged onto the conveyors of the batloading mechanism.

To insure that the clutch IIS-will not be ac' tuated when no bats areinthe passes of the loading mechanism a safety control switch |68,operated by sag introduced in the lowermost con- Y veyor by the weightof bats thereon, is mounted in the circuit of the solenoid 20 whichactuates the clutch H6. If no ba-ts are on said conveyor to cause it tosag, switch i6!! will be open and solenoid |29 cannotv operate inresponse `to thek return of roller 52. l

While the invention has been illustrated and Y describedv in itsseveral'preferred embodiments and has included certain details, itshould be understood that the invention is notlimited to the precisedetails herein illustrated and described, since the same may be carriedout in other ways, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

We claimas our invention:

lli) of the loading f V2. Arat par shrinking machine comprising inicombination, means defining a passagewayv through which bats"v arepassed in at condition from the entrance tothe exit thereof, said meansbeing operable to` manipulate said bats to shrink and felt them whiletraversingsaid passageway",- means operable to transfer automaticallyhat bats from the exit to the/entrance of said passageway, whereby abatch of hat bats may be recycled automatically a number of timesthrough said passageway, and'V bat loading means'k associated" with thelentrance 'of said passageway and 'come prising conveyor means operable'to feed a-bat'ch of bats to said entrance in spaced relati'onship toAeach other. 'Y y 3. A hat bat shrinking machine comprising in. Ydefining la passageway combination, means through which bats are passedinflat condition from: the'entrance to the eXi't thereof, said meansbeing operable to manipulate said bats to shrink and felt themwhiletraversing said passageway,

conveyor means operable to return automatically o hat bats from the exitto the entrance' of said? passageway, whereby' a batch of hat batsrmaybe recycled automatically a number of times through said passageway, andbat loading means operable to feedto said return conveyor means a batchof batsfin spaced'relationship to each other.

4, A hat bat shrinking machine comprisingin combination, means definingal passageway through which bats are passed in fiat condition from theentrance to the exitthereof, saidmeans being operable tomanipulate saidbats. to shrink and felt themA while traversing` said passageway,conveyor means operable Yto return automatically hatbatsfrom the exit tothe entrancev of said` passageway whereby av batch of hat bats may beVrecycled automatically aV number of times through said passageway, and:`bat loading mea-ns associ-V ated with saidreturn conveyor meam,k toautomatically feed abath offba'ts thereto land comprising a series ofsuperposed endlessv conveyors movablyrmou'ntedA toprog-ressively feedisaid batchofV bats along theser-ies ofoonveyors, and means operable totransfer? bats successivelyrto` lower Y conveyors of the series, thell'ovvermost` conveyor 1. A hat kbat shrinking machine comprising in p vspacedrelationship toeach other.

thereof beingV positioned and operable to discharge bats-fromy saidloading. meansto said return con veyor. g k

Y5. A hat bat shrinking machinev comprising in combination, meansdefining a"Y passageway through which bats arepassed'in fiat conditionfrom the entrance to the exit thereof, said means being operable toAmanipulate said bats to shrink and felt theml while traversingsaidpassageway,

conveyor means operablel to returnautomatically hat bats: from the exitto the entrance oi said passageway, whereby a batchof hatbatsmay berecycled automatically-a number of times through said passageway, andbat loading means' asso'- ciatedwith said'- return conveyor means toauto-v matically feedl a batch* of bats thereto and com-- prising'aseries o1 superposed endless conveyors' movably'mounte'd', disposedinclose proximity of VeachV other to' provide between the adjacent coursesof each'adj acent' pair of conveyors a pass which bats traverse lwhileengaged on opposite surfacesby said courses of said conveyors, the batstravelling-,inopposite directions in adjacent' passes, means tov drivesaid conveyors so that said adjacent coursesofsaid adj acentconveyorstravel in thesame` directiom and means operable to transfer bats'successively to lower conveyors of the; series theflo-wermost conveyorthereof being positioned and operable to discharge bats from saidloading means to said return conveyor.

6. A hat bat shrinking machine comprising in combination, means dening apassageway through which bats are passed in flat condition from theentrance to the exit thereof, said means being operable to manipulatesaid bats to shrink and felt them While traversing said passageway,conveyor means operable to return automatically hat bats from the exitto the entrance of said passageway, whereby a batch of hat bats may berecycled automatically a number of times through said passageway, andbat loading means associated with said return conveyor means toautomatically feed a batch of bats thereto and comprising a series ofsuperposed frames mounted for movement toward and away from each other,an endless conveyor movably supported by each frame and extendingbetween the ends thereof, and means operable to transfer batssuccessively to lower conveyors of the series, the lowermost conveyorthereof being positioned and operable to discharge bats from saidloading means to said return conveyor.

7. A hat bat shrinking machine comprising in combination, means dening apassageway through which bats are passed in fiat condition from theentrance to the exit thereof, said means being operable to manipulatesaid bats to shrink and felt them while traversing said passageway,conveyor means operable to return automatically hat bats from the exitto the entrance of said passageway, whereby a batch of hat bats may berecycled automatically a number of times through said passageway, andbat loading means associated with said return conveyor means toautomatically feed a batch of bats thereto and comprising a series ofsuperposed frames each pivotally mounted at one end to permit movementof the frames toward and away from each other, an endless conveyormovably supported by each frame and extending between the ends thereof,and means operable to transfer bats successively to lower conveyors ofthe series, the lowermost conveyor thereof being positioned and operableto discharge bats from said loading means to said return conveyor.

8. A hat bat shrinking machine comprising in combination, means defininga passageway through which bats are passed in at condition from theentrance to the exit thereof, said means being operable to manipulatesaid bats to shrink and felt them while traversing said passageway,means operable to return automatically hat bats from the exit to theentrance of said passageway, whereby a batch of hat bats may be recycledautomatically to a predetermined extent by successive traversings ofsaid passageway, means operable at the end of the recycling period tocause said return means to discontinue said recycling and eject the batstherefrom, bat loading means associated with the entrance of saidpassageway and operable to feed thereto a batch of bats, and drive meansfor said bat loading means operable at predetermined intervals to causesaid bat loading means to operate.

9. A hat bat shrinking machine comprising in combination, means defininga passageway` through which bats are passed in flat condition from theentrance to the exit thereon, said means being operable to manipulatesaid bats to shrink and felt them while traversing said passageway,means operable to return automatically hat bats from the exit to theentrance of said passageway, whereby a batch of hat bats may be recycledautomatically to a predetermined extent by successive traversings ofsaid passageway, means operable at the end of the recycling period tocause said return means to discontinue said recyling and eject the batstherefrom, bat loading means associated with the entrance of saidpassageway and operable to feed thereto a batch of bats, drive means forsaid bat loading means, and a clutch between said drive means and saidbat loading means automatically operable upon ejection of said bats fromsaid return means to cause said batloading means to operate.

HOMER A. GEN EST. WARNER H. GEN EST.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,760,517 Rehfus-Oberlander May27, 1930 1,803,689 Bernadt May 5, 1931 1,919,275 Dunham July 25, 19332,169,372 Pecker Aug. 15, 1939

